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Border Reopening: NIS, NCS Await Directives at Seme
Twenty four hours after the formal reopening of four of the nation’s land borders, travellers at Seme border have not found it easy to cross to and fro as the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) claimed it had not been given the matching order.
DAILY ASSET, which monitored the situation at the border, learnt that hundreds of travellers, who had wanted to the cash-in on the opportunity, were stranded even as security was beefed up.
It was also observed that human and vehicular movement across the border post was restricted as the frontier remained under lock.
An official of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), who pleaded anonymity, said that security agencies at the border were still expecting official directives to reopen the border.
“We heard about the reopening of the four land borders from the news on Wednesday, but we are still waiting for directives from head office in Abuja.
“We cannot just open the border like that. As you can see, when the border was closed they introduced Joint Border Patrol which comprises of Army, Immigration, Police and Customs.
“Anytime they ask us to open the border, we will open it,” he said.
Movement restrictions and checking of goods and vehicles remained in place at more than 20 checkpoints mounted by Customs, Immigration and Police along Badagry Expressway.
Also, commercial activities were yet to pick up at the Seme market due to the continued closure of the border.
A trader at the popular Seme market, Mrs Funke Senapon, appealed to Federal Government to order the officials to reopen the border.
She said that residents and traders who were rejoicing about the news of the reopening were disappointed when they discovered that border had not been opened.
The Federal Government had on August 21, 2019, ordered the closure of Nigerian borders to curb smuggling of goods and weapons.
“The president has approved the reopening of four land borders, namely– Seme, South-West, Ilela, North West, Maigatari border in the North-West and North-Central and Mfum in the South-South.
“These four land borders will be opened immediately, while the remaining land borders are directed to be reopened on or before Dec. 31,’’ the minister told State House Correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday.
She said that Buhari also directed that while the borders were being reopened, the ban on the importation of rice, poultry and other products still subsisted and would be implemented by the border patrol team.
Meanwhile, Nigerians continued to give kudos to the Federal Government for re-opening some borders, in spite of the prevailing insecurity in parts of the country, believing that it would aid importation of stable goods into the county.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, had announced that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the immediate reopening of four land borders.
Ahmed said that Buhari also directed that while the borders were being reopened, the ban on the importation of rice, poultry and other products still subsist and would be implemented by the border patrol team.
Market Turnover will increase— NIS
The President, Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS), Capt. Tony Onoharigho, said the reopening of the nation’s land borders would lead to increased market turnover, with more goods coming into the country.
The reopening is coming 16 months after the Federal Government shut them on Aug. 21, 2019, to curb smuggling of goods and weapons.
Onoharigho, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that the opening of the borders was the right step to take, having been closed longer than expected.
“Though we know it was due to the procurement of arms and preventing banned goods from entering the country that the border was closed, it stayed longer than was expected.
“The opening of the border will be of benefit to the people of the south-west and south-south because the goods that will be coming in now will increase the market turnover and money in circulation.
“And when the goods flood the market, it will have a good effect on prices as it will come down and people will be able to afford them, because things are very difficult now in the country,” he said.
Deputy National President, Air Logistics, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Segun Musa, also said the reopening was welcome.
He said that some people had been adversely affected by the closure and the reopening would see them picking up and strengthening their businesses.
Musa said that the border opening would also ensure that business communities in Nigeria participate and benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“I believe that the opening of the border has to do with the commencement of the AfCFTA, so that Nigeria will not be excluded in the trade agreement and this is a welcome development,” he said.
Ex-CBN Director Commends FG
A former Director, Budgetary Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Titus Okunrounmu, yesterday commended the Federal Government for the reopening of four land borders.
The land borders approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for immediate reopening are; Seme border in the Southwest, Ilela border in the Northwest, Maigatari border in the North-West and North-Central, and Mfun border in the South-South.
Other land borders are to be opened before the end of the year.
“The reopening of the land borders is long overdue as Small and Medium Scale businesses that generate their income from export across African countries are badly affected,” he said.
It’s Timely – Don
The Prof. Mustapha Muktar of Economics Department, Bayero University, Kano, has said that the reopening of borders is timely, while maintaining the ban on rice importation should remain.
Muktar said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview yesterday in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday directed the reopening of four border areas in the country.
The don said he was excited that the border reopening was announced with some regulations and restrictions of import of some items.
“I have been urging the government to maintain the ban on agricultural commodities and other basic necessary products that we have advantage of producing within the country.
“For the ban on importation of rice, I still support the government even if we cannot produce the sufficient quantity for our consumption, we can always improve and expand.
“If we don’t ban rice production, our farmers cannot improve as well as the economy.
“The government needs to sustain this effort so that our local production can thrive and also to protect the local industries that are engaged in rice chain production.
“And the only way to do that is to ban the importation of rice because the imported ones are relatively cheap in price and allowing such will kill the local rice production,” he explained.
He, however, urged government to give incentives for export in order to boost trading patterns and balance of payment in order to stabilise the exchange rate.
Muktar also enjoined the Federal Government to strengthen security at various borders to prevent smuggling of firearms into the country in an effort to protect lives and properties.
He emphasised the need for government to ensure strict compliance of its protocols and policies on the border reopening.
…Will Boost Business, Economic Activities – NECA
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has said the reopening of the four borders will revive and boost business and economic activities while generating revenue to government coffers.
NECA’S Director-General, Dr Timothy Olawale, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos while commending the Federal Government for reopening the borders.
Olawale said that the re-opening of the borders was long expected, saying its closure brought untold hardship to many Nigerians, including a large number of informal-sector players, and individuals doing legitimate businesses across the borders.
According to him, this had resulted in unemployment and poverty.
“We commend the opening of four land borders by the government which had been closed to check the menace of smuggling goods and arms and ammunition into the country and protect local businesses, among other reasons.
“We note that the re-opening of these borders was a good development; Seme Border in the South-West, Ilela Border in the North-West, Mfun Border in the South-South and Maigatari Border also in the North-West, ” he said.
The Director-General also said that the border reopening will translate to a seamless implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), stem the tides of growing prices of goods and services, especially food components in the Composite Product Index in calculating the Inflation rate in the country.
“While we called for more developmental trade and foreign policies that will be friendly and in alignment with international treaties, consultation with critical stakeholders, especially the Organised Private Sector in policy formulation process of government at all levels, should be prioritised,” he said.
He said that in spite of the commendation, there was the need to consider some of the reasons why Nigeria closed its land borders, including curbing the importation of Coronavirus into the country.
He also noted that others included the fight against smuggling of rice and other goods; checkmating against human traffic; curtailing illegal importation of drugs, small arms and agricultural products into country from neighbouring West African nations.
Olawale, therefore, urged government to ensure that imported commodities must be thoroughly checked to prevent influx of contraband and harmful products into the country.
“The government should prioritise security going forward. It will be imperative to further equip security agencies, step up patrols in and around the border areas, and enhance the Nigeria Customs Service’s collaboration with local indigenes to facilitate effective policing of the borders.
“In the wake of the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases in the country, the need to observe all health protocols for people coming into and going out of the country should be enforced strictly.
“Also, government should ensure that the country is not a dumping ground for imported food items and other materials, especially during the Christmas season,” he said.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils. The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.
The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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